In the eyes of a model kit, all modelers are equal.

A little bit of this and some of that

04/21/2017

With the new job, I've had reason to do some air travel over the past few months. A few observations...

First, I had a trip to the Dallas area in late February. It was my first ride on an Embraer 175/195, and I was surprised. Unlike the older 145, there wasn't the annoying Dutch Roll through the flight, which was good. And, unlike the Baby Jungle Jet, it was 2X2 seating. Which kind of sucks. I liked getting an A seat, which was the best of both worlds--a window seat and an aisle seat. No matter, it was a neat airplane.

About 5 weeks later, I was called to the Phoenix area. I chose to fly Delta, since, well, when you're in the Southeast, it is simply what you do. The flights between Columbia and Atlanta are predictable, with predictable equipment: MD-80's or CRJ's. Now, the MD-80's (MD-88's, usually) aren't too bad--I've flown on them many times. As long as I get an aisle seat (or at least seat on the right side of the airplane in the two abreast row), I'm good. CRJ's, on the other hand, I don't like at all. They're cramped, the windows are too low...and, if you sit over the wing, you know right away when the landing gear either hits the uplock or the pilot selects gear down--it sounds like a gunshot. One of these days, I'll schedule a flight on one of Delta's MD-95's...

The first Atlanta to Phoenix leg was on an Airbus A330. Not having flown on a product of Toulouse, I was surprised at how nice the ride was. It was certainly one of the better flights I've been on, air transport-wise. I'll do it again, too. I liked the fact that even the "Cattle-Class" seats were roomy enough--although the guy next to me didn't understand boundaries, and wanted to try and sit side-saddle--in the four abreast middle row. Those of us on either side of him had to constantly tell him to get back in his seat--the one he paid for, not that one and half of ours, too. I am a big fan of Delta's seatback monitors--I caught the Amy Adams movie "Arrival", which was an interesting movie. I had some time to go, so I started to watch "Office Christmas Party", and yes, it was one of those stupid silly movies. And yes, I enjoyed it.

The return flight was okay, too, but it was on one of Delta's A320's. I can't really complain, but Delta has found a way to install seat-back screens on everything short of the CRJ's. This one? Nope. Not a big deal, as I was fighting a bit of a cold that day. It was probably just as well that I could snooze during the flight.

The first trip was like clockwork up until the last leg between Atlanta and Columbia. But even that wasn't a big deal, we had a maintenance delay that saw us arrive an hour late. However, you would have thought they told us we weren't leaving for a week by the reaction of some of my fellow travelers. More on delays and how unbearable other people can be in a minute.

My most recent trip? Well, I was scheduled to fly on April 6th. If you recall, that was the day Delta had a little bit of a problem with airplanes and crews out of position due to some bad weather. I got the message that my flight was cancelled before I had a chance to take a shower. I went online and called at the same time--and got a message that the call waiting list was up to at least two hours. So, I rebooked online. I tried to rebook for the next day, no dice. I did the next best thing and rebooked for Saturday, April 7th. Surely, things would be better by then...

Well, two things I learned: When you rebook a flight, for some reason you don't get the text alerts. Well, at least I didn't. I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare--which was a good thing--only to find the Columbia to Atlanta flight had once again been cancelled. So, I joined the queue at the Delta ticket counter. Now, maybe my 30 years in the aviation industry has prepared me for things like this, I dunno, but I watched a young lady rip the ticket agent up one side and down the other because of the delay. It wasn't the ticket agent's fault, so I don't know what this lady thought she would get in exchange. She stormed off, and I approached the agent. She took a look at my ticket, and offered a voucher for a taxi from Columbia to Atlanta--which is about a four-hour trip. I had some time to play with, but I had to leave quickly if I was going to make my connection. "Oh, there's a line of taxis waiting outside", I was told. Uh, sure there were. We're talking Saturday of The Master's weekend--Augusta is about 80 miles up I-20. Rental cars and taxis are usually in short supply.

A few Checker Yellow cabs drove up and picked up people in the same boat we were, only they were headed for Charlotte and Charleston. Minivan taxis with one passenger. Not too efficient. But I did call them, and I told them that there were at least ten people who needed to get to Atlanta, and quickly. So, the minivan pulls up--and the driver only wants to take two of us. Not happening. We told him to load the minivan up, which after a call to the dispatcher, he finally did. The ride was uneventful otherwise--given that a bridge on I-85 on the other side of Atlanta had collapsed days earlier, it could have been much worse. We arrived at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport at noon, my flight out was scheduled for a 2PM departure.

Now, when I go through the Security Checkpoint, I'm pretty efficient--once I clear the boarding pass/ID check, I put the contents of my pockets into my briefcase or backpack. When I get to the scanner line, I'm pretty quick to pull the laptop out of the briefcase, place it into a tray, grab a second tray for my shoes, belt, cell phone, and toiletry baggie. The briefcase and backpack go on the conveyor, and once it starts into the X-Ray, I approach the scanner. I'm usually in and out on five minutes once I pass the ID check podium. Well, because Atlanta was so backed up, it liked to take forever. Part of the problem was that people still don't understand that your pockets must be empty--hell, one of the TSA agents walks up and down the line and tells you that! Then there are people who want to argue about taking their shoes off. Look, if you don't have a Known Traveler ID, your shoes come off. Don't argue--these people have the authority to make sure you don't fly that day. Do what they tell you. It isn't difficult.

Anyway, clear of the checkpoint, I go looking for a Departure monitor--which Atlanta seems to be short of in the checkpoint area. Sure, there are plenty in the underground areas and gate areas, but I'd like to know which terminal I need to head towards. I finally found one, noted that we were scheduled out of gate A23...and that we were delayed two hours. I'd rather be at the airport than on the way to the airport, and Atlanta's terminals are like shopping malls, so I am more than happy to stooge around the airport while waiting.

Every now and then, I'd check the Departures monitor. Yep, still A23. I grabbed a quick snack--I don't really like flying on a full stomach--and sat down. I checked Facebook, I caught up on my e-mail--personal and work, I caught some of the cabbed TV. And, every 30 minutes or so, I checked the board. About 45 minutes before our departure, a few of us noticed that the Gate Monitor now said "Miami". Hmmm. Check the Departure monitor--the Phoenix flight was still scheduled out of A23. But so was the Miami flight. Three minutes apart. We asked the gate agent. She wasn't sure. This went back and forth for a few minutes until I noticed they had finally changed Phoenix to A24. Right across the way. No big deal. Other than the 4PM departure was now 4:30. I think we finally got boarded and pushed from the gate sometime around 5:15...

The flight was on a 737-900. The last 737 I had flown on was a USAir 737-400. Night and day. My seat was towards the aft cabin, and was a bit bumpy, but nothing too bad. Otherwise, it was a nice flight. I got a chance to see "Rogue One", which was also kind of cool, as I hadn't caught it in the theater. I also watched the first half of "Hacksaw Ridge"--I had seen that one in a theater, so I selected it to fill some time. By the time we got to Phoenix, it was 5:30 local (8:30 on my internal clock)...and I still had to summon an Uber (a new experience for me, but kind of neat), get to the shop, pick up the company truck, and drive to the house. Yep, we leased a house and bought a vehicle, since we reckon we'll be there for a while...

Oh, and air travel aside--that Sunday I truly did catch up on my "Star Wars" movie watching when I caught "The Force Awakens" on one of the movie channels at the house. Interesting film, I see many parallels between it, "A New Hope", and "A Phantom Menace". I've seen all of 'em up until now-even the revised versions--so I'm interested to see how Disney finished the main story as well as how well they do the other stories like "Rogue One". If "Rogue One" is any gauge, they're on the right track...

I spent the week in Phoenix--and if you've never been, you owe yourself a vacation in Arizona. I've been to Tucson once and Phoenix twice, and the weather has been gorgeous on all three trips--I think it rained one night on my first Phoenix trip, otherwise the skies have been blue and clear. I'm figuring that my flight on Friday should be smooth sailing. Right...

The scheduled departure was 10:24. The airplane pulled up to the gate--an ex-Northwest 757-251, the passengers got off the airplane, and the crew followed. Then I see a guy in a reflective vest and the Captain go back aboard. And I notice one or two guys looking under the airplane. Then they opened the main wheel doors. The Captain and the other guy walked back to the gate agent. There was some discussion, and one of the red-vested Delta "Help" agents showed up. I had a suspicion, and it was confirmed when they made the announcement that they had a maintenance discrepancy. The flight would be delayed until 12:30. I heard whispers of a hydraulic issue. Specifically, some hydraulic control module. And then I heard something that told me we weren't leaving at 12:30--"We don't know if we have a part, and we are looking for one now."

About ten minutes later, the "Help" person started handing out those red "Need Help?" cards. Doing the wise thing, I rebooked my connection from Atlanta to Columbia for the last flight out that evening. Surely they could get this airplane fixed and to Atlanta before 10PM EDT...

In an ideal world, that may have happened. But then the announcement went out--4:30PM. And then 7:30PM. When the departure went to 4:30, I called and rebooked my connection for the first flight out of Atlanta--10:30AM. And then I waited. And was once again amazed at what happens to people when things don't go their way. "Get us another plane!" It ain't that easy. Phoenix isn't a Delta hub, and Delta generally doesn't have airplanes sitting around idle. "Work overtime!" Uhh, these folks have 24-hour maintenance crews. "Fly a part in!" Yep, that's what they're doing--from LAX. But they can't snatch a part off the shelf, throw it on an airplane, and leave it to that. There's all sorts of procedures that need to be followed, and they take time.

By about 5PM, the gate area was nearly empty--only the die hards like me who stuck with the original flight. Delta got some pizza and brought out the drink and snack cart for us. I was content to wait--I didn't have to be anywhere right away (sure, I wanted to get home, but I could wait), there were others travelling for the holiday, or Spring Break, or needed to be in the office. Most of them rebooked for the 1:30 and 4:30 flights. Knowing I wasn't getting out of Atlanta until 10AM the following morning meant I was going to spend a lot of time at an airport, and it didn't matter much to me whether I had to wait in Phoenix until 7:30. Did I say 7:30? Yeah, that's what Delta told us, too. Until they slipped it to 9PM. Still, no matter to me...

About that time, another red-vested Delta "Help" agent approached our gate. "Are you all waiting for 1546 to Atlanta?" When a few of us indicated that we were, she called us to the podium. "We need to rebook you--we have no cabin crew." She looked at her computer, and called maintenance control. Sure enough, they had the part, they were ready to install it...and the cabin crew hit their duty time limit. My trip would continue...

We all got rebooked for the Red Eye departing at 11:30. So, I once again found a bit of a snack and a drink, and wandered the terminal for a while. Oh, a hint--Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has a Wendy's, a Taberna Del Tequila, a Starbuck's, and a few News outlets. Terminal 4 is where all the action is. Anyway, I stayed in Terminal 3, where I could watch the Frontier flights come and go. I like watching airplanes anyway, so I was good.

About a half hour before we were supposed to board, I noticed a few folks on the 10:24 flight appeared at the new gate. I thought they had rebooked for the earlier flights and were gone, but apparently they sent their afternoon at Taberna Del Tequila. And they apparently had consumed some beer. A lot of beer. There were about a half-dozen of them, and they were all shit-faced, a couple almost falling-down drunk. I was speaking with one of them when another showed up and got boisterous with some of the young ladies sitting around us. They had started to board anyway, so I gathered my gear and slipped away. The interesting part of the boarding process was when these folks checked in--the gate agents were closely watching them. The same thing played out once we boarded--the Flight Attendants were certainly aware that these folks were inebriated. Toe of them were seated in an exit row, and I was amazed that they were allowed to remain there. Fortunately for all of us on the airplane, all of them passed out (literally, I think) soon after we were on our way.

I wanted to catch some sleep on the flight, but my neighbors had other ideas. As soon as the cabin lights went down, their reading lights went on. And stayed on for the entire flight. So, I watched more movies. Or tried to. I would nod off, and then wake up. So, I caught about 40% of "Rogue One" again, before I switched to "Office Christmas Party" to catch the last 30 minutes of it. And then we were in Atlanta. One step closer...

We arrived at around 6AM, so I had some time to kill. I was going to try and find someplace where I could get a sit-down breakfast, but no joy. So, I did what I usually do--find some snacks and a drink. By this time, I'm running on nearly 24 hours with little sleep, and it was all I could do to contain my crankiness/grumpiness and stay awake. Knowing full well that I have a CRJ ride, it took all I could muster...

The flight was uneventful. And fast. We arrived almost 20 minutes early. I met my wife, we headed to the house (stopping at the grocery store on the way), and went to the house. I had some lunch. And I don't remember much else about last Saturday...

But back to one of my observations. I watched more people get nasty with airline representatives that I could count. It wasn't their fault. Weather happens. Airplanes break. Plans get changed. I've learned to roll with the waves--unlike another airline who made the news for another reason last week, all the problems I experienced were typical air travel issues. Screaming at, yelling at, cussing at, and abusing the people behind the counter doesn't make things better. Stay calm. Be patient. Go with the flow...

The other thing I did with my time was people-watch. I ask you, since when is a steamer trunk classified as "carry-on baggage"? I routinely carry a small canvas briefcase and a small backpack when I travel. Those are carry on bags. But I've seen people try to pass off those huge roller bags or huge backpacks as carry on bags. I watch people struggle to stuff their bags into the overhead bins. I know the airlines have caused the problem in part due to their checked bags fees, but people, c'mon. Use some sense...

I'm happy to be home for a few weeks. I'm about traveled our for the time being. I think I've caught up on my sleep, too...

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and, as always, I bid you Peace.

12/13/2016

It has been a while, no? I had all good intentions of following up the IPMS Nationals, but, as they say, stuff happens.

Let's start with the IPMS/USA National Convention. It may not have been the biggest--estimated registrants are around 650, 2,000 models were entered, and by all measures it was a success. The telling point was at about 3PM on Wednesday afternoon--we opened the show at 1PM, and by 3 we were being asked, "When are you guys going to do this again?" As the Seminar Coordinator, I can tell you this--we had the best seminar schedule that I had seen. Several were moved due to projected attendance numbers, and I'm glad I moved them--the rooms would have been packed had I not moved them to larger rooms. Special mention goes to my friend Mike Roof, who presented his seminar on working with photoetch TWICE. His was one of the seminars in a smaller room, and he had people out into the hallway for the first presentation. He graciously offered to have a re-run in the afternoon.

Everything ran smoothly--all the folks in both hosting chapters worked hard all week, and the results showed. As I told out Co-Chair, if anything went wrong that people objected to, it would have made it 'round the world in 15 nanoseconds. The gripes weren't there. We take that to mean we did a good job. When are we doing it again? We'll let you know. In, I don't know, maybe 15 years...

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We're well into Christmas season at the Hobby Shop. That means longer days, extended hours, and dealing with hectic shoppers. We're managing to keep up with the sales numbers in getting product into the shop, so we're doing well on that front, too...

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Models? Have I worked on any models? Yes...but I don't have the pictures to prove it.

I built the Hasegawa 1/72 Beaufighter 21 for my "Model Building 101" seminar, and I'm well pleased with the result. It was my first use of the Vallejo paints, and so far I like the stuff...

We received the Vallejo Metal Color products into the shop, and I thought I should build a test subject to see how good it actually was. So, I dusted off a Revell 1/72 MiG21 F-13, built it, and shot it with various shades of the Metal Color. Well, the results are stunning. Now, I like my concoction of Tamiya Titanium Silver, Future, and Alcohol, but the Metal Color is where I'll look if I'm building something with a bright metal finish. I'll save the Tamiya mix for oxidized aluminum and silver doped finishes...

As for the other stuff in the queue, the 1/72 ER-2 is in primer, waiting for the finish painting. I have to attach some smaller parts first, but I'm slowly getting there.

The 1/72 F-111F has been primed and the first color, 30219 Tan, has been applied. I'm using the Hataka paints for this one, and I still have some experimenting to do. It's nice paint, but dries quite fast. I need to play with thinning ratios and the use of a fluid retarder before I pass final judgement.

The 1/35 StuG IV is ready for a stain finish and weathering. I also need to finish the base for it. I'll be happy to get this one done.

The 1/48 Macchi C.200 is ready for another attempt at paint. Third time's the charm!

The 1/700 USS Cowpens is in need of some more paint and fiddly work. Softly, softly, catchee monkey...

The 1/48 Gamecock is progressing, too. I need to fit the cabane struts so I can measure for the interplane struts. Once I have the struts to my liking, I can continue installing the wings. The tail surfaces are ready for installation. Next up will be getting the landing gear correct and the engine mounted...

A few new projects are also in the works:

A 1/35 Trumpeter SA-2 Guideline Missile and launcher have had their base colors applied and are in the weathering process now, using Vallejo products. This one will be an Egyptian example from 1973 based on contemporary photos taken by a modeling friend of mine when he was there. Stay tuned.

Also, I led an airbrushing clinic at the hobby shop last month. Rather than trying to demonstrate on a half dozen models, I quickly assembled a 1/48 Bf-109T from the Academy (Hobbycraft) kit and used it. I have a good deal of the camouflage done, I need to touch some areas up, add some mottling, and get it ready for decals. So far, so good...

In case your wondering, I am quickly becoming a Vallejo convert. Just in case I wasn't clear...

Seriously. I love this stuff so far. It sprays nicely--whether it be Model Color, Model Air, Panzer Aces, or their Surface Primer. I'm experimenting with their Chipping Medium, and like the effects I can get. I haven't yet played with their mud effects, but other people who have say it is nice to work with. I don't like to be dependent on one particular line of products, but this one makes that difficult...

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Something else happened between my last post and now, Can't seem to remember what it was, it was about a month ago...

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Other than that, I'm still here. I hope to be more active next year, but we'll see how that goes.

Until next time, be good to one other. And, as always--and especially at this time of year--I bid you Peace.

02/19/2016

As my days with my current employer dwindle to single-digits, I've taken a little bit of time to look at the situation and assess where I am. Looking back over the past 30 or so years (damn, I'm getting old!), I've learned a lot of things, but the most important took a while to penetrate my thick skull. What would that be, you ask? The most important thing I've learned through the years is this: never sell yourself short.

Each of us posses some skill, knowledge, or talent that other people seek. When others search you out for your skills or talent, remind them of the following: A., they sought you out of the crowd; B., they understand you possess skills/knowledge/talent; and C., those skills/knowledge/talent come with a price tag and (at least for me) a set of standards that I will not compromise. Ever. You want me, you have to live by those principles, they are non-negotiable. And, here's the kicker: if you know the right people--those people who make the effort to seek you out because they know what you posses in the way of skills, knowledge, and talent, they fully and completely understand, because they live the same way.

So, why did that take me so long to figure out? It is my nature--I'm an introvert, more so than most. I don't like grandstanding or showboating. I figure that if I show you what I can do, that's good enough. Problem is, I live in a world where I see so many people who can, and I'm quoting here, use their "tongue prettier than a twenty dollar whore." In other words, they talk the talk and that's all they do. They know all the right words, they play the "fake it until you make it" game (which most fail miserably at), and they know how to schmooze. These are the idiots, given the proper audience, who climb the ladder on their co-worker's backs. Not me, that's not how I am programmed, that's not how I was raised.

For me, one of the most prized things anyone ever said about me was when I received my first Employee Evaluation with my current employer--the Service Manager who hired me only knew me by what he heard one of the local FAA inspectors (who worked with me before she joined the ranks of the FAA) say about me. When I interviewed, I told him that while I am an avionics technician, I understood that we had a small crew and that when there was no avionics work that I would assist wherever I was needed. I don't think he believed me, because at that first review he said, "You know, you have gone over and above what any other avionics man I know would have done." My answer to him? "Well, I told you from the beginning that I'd help out where I was needed. I wasn't telling you that to blow smoke and sunshine up you ass, I said it because I meant it." Being the good Marine that he is, he just smiled. What could he say?

Well, he was left speechless, but here's what I will say: Believe in yourself. If you do that, others will believe in you, too. Oh, and don't let the bastards wear you down. Those silver tongued geniuses usually wind up hanging by their own short rope...

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We had our monthly IPMS Chapter meeting last night, and we had a new member in attendance. As we usually do, we go around the room and introduce ourselves, what our areas of interest are, and greet the new person so they get a feel for the group. Last night, there was a little more--we all, in our own fashion, related to the new visitor why clubs are good. The first member who introduced himself said that he has not only gained new skills, his modeling has improved, and he's made a lot of friends. That sentiment went around the room. One of the group, a long-time member, said it better than I could have: "Some of my best friends, I met in this room." Amen to that. When I think about it, I've met most of the people that I consider my best friends through the hobby. Hey, I met my wife through the hobby! So, if you are one of those who don't dig the club scene because you have some preconceived notion of how clubs work, do yourself a favor. Drop the hostility and go to a meeting. You might just find out how much fun it is.

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With my upcoming "free time", I plan on getting back to the workbench between job hunting and whatever freelance work I might take on. My immediate goals are to finally finish the Macchi C.200 and the StuG IV. They've been hanging out far too long. After that, I plan on whittling the open project bins down to one or two, then embarking on some new adventures. Stay tuned...

12/09/2015

As I get older, it seems that time passes quicker. I know it is cliché, but it is true and I don't know why. I do know that of late I have been less inclined to do things and more inclined to watch the Idiot Box--and another cliché is also true, we have (through DirecTV) 200 channels with nothing on. I've been trying to make efforts that change all that, but I fall back into bad habits most of the time. I've been fighting a bit of a cold lately, but that is only part of the answer. I've been working some long hours, but not anything out of the ordinary, so that's not the answer either. I've tried to limit my time on the other Idiot Box (this Idiot Box ), so that's not the answer, either...

If I really examine the issue and come to a definitive conclusion, I think I can go back to the "200 channels and nothing's on" theory and find my answer, at least in part. Yep, I may have too many models. Maybe not too many in the stash (I mean, can you really ever have too many models in the stash?), but too many in work. All of them are to a point where I need to shift focus onto them individually, and that's where I get stuck. I have six on the go, and only two of them are still more or less in the basic construction phase (the TR-1/ER-2 and the Gloster Gamecock), the rest are in the last phases of construction before finish (the F-111F, the USS Cowpens), while the others are in paint (the Macchi C.200 and the StuG IV). As I sit, I ponder what needs to be done, and after a while I have found that my thoughts are all over the place, and I have lost focus. So, once the hubbub of the holidays have passed, I think I'm going to try putting everything out of reach of the workbench except one model. It will be the only model in work, and will remain so until it is done, then lather, rinse, repeat, until they're all completed. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but I gotta do something to break the logjam.

I may have some extra time to get things done here in the near future. We found out in August that my employer has decided to move the shop--greener pastures, so we've been told--and our location will have to close since they are transferring the FAA Repair Station Certificate rather than applying for a new one in the new location. New Repair Stations can take up to two years to be approved, the company is hoping that a transfer will be approved quickly. In any case, I don't plan on moving with the company, which will mean that I will once again be unemployed. I have a few irons in the fire, and it may require some assistance from a CPA and maybe an attorney (I'm strongly leaning to forming an LLC and working for myself, for a while at least), but I'm in a little better situation now than I was when I was laid off in 2009--if you can call losing your job a "better situation" at all, ever. But what I'm looking at doing is something that I excel in (or so I have been told), and something I may be able to do mostly from the house. I'm actually letting things idle right now, but upon the New Year I plan on attacking the new venture, and I think I might actually enjoy the challenge.

I don't normally get political on the Iron Modeler blog, for a reason (actually several). What I believe and what you believe may well be at opposite ends of the spectrum, and I have found that rarely does one enter into a political discussion or debate and instantly change the other person's mind. I enjoy the fact that we all think differently, but I also was raised in a house where politics and religion weren't discussed among polite company. I'm on Facebook, and I have found myself hiding some people's feeds simply because they are 100% political, 100% of the time, to the point where I have become sick of reading the vitriol from both sides. Guys and gals, put it away. Please.

With that being said, I am also amazed at the number of people who, being ignorant of World History--or not(!), are buying into some of the ideas being hammered home on the various media sources. I can't understand why educated people will take their news from a single source, or automatically believe one person simply because that's what they want to hear. I urge everyone to open their eyes and ears, listen to everything they can from all sides, and then employ the good old Mark I bullshit detector to separate the signal from the noise. Make educated decisions for yourself, not based on what some talking head tells you. You will lead a richer life, you will be better informed, and you might just become more worldly. Whether your decisions fall on the Left or the Right, you have educated yourself to all the options and made your decision for yourself. Isn't that what civilized people are supposed to do?

Our friends at Sprue Brothers had a sale on Wingman Models kits a few weeks ago, and I had to take advantage. Having purchased the Wingman Models Kfir C.2/C.7 last year, I just had to complete the collection of Israeli deltas with the acquisition of the Nesher and early Kfir kits. I also have the Kinetic Kfir C.2/C.7, and if I play my cards right I can use some of the leftover parts from the Wingman C.2/C.7 on it. Those, and the Eduard Mirage IIICJ, will make a handsome collection once they're all completed.

I also had opportunity to purchase the new-tool Airfix Beaufighter TF.X in 1/72 scale, and what a treat it is. If Airfix does the rest of the Beaufighter family, I may be compelled to sell off my Hasegawa kits...

An interesting find, and one I may have briefly mentioned, is the reissue of the AMT 1/25 scale 1969-1970 vintage Chevy K/10 Blazer. A friend of our family had one for years, and I just had to have the kit. This friend and his father bought a lake house near Sebring (right on Lake Istokpoga--so close you could hear the cars at the Speedway if we were there on a race weekend), and we would all pile into the Blazer for weekends on the lake. I plan on building and painting it just like his was. He wound up selling it years ago--and, like all favorite vehicles, he wishes he had not done so...

I also finally picked up the Eduard Royal Edition Spitfire Mk.IX set, the Eduard Aussie Eights Spitfire Mk.VIII set, and the Eduard Cactus Air Force P-39 sets, al in 1/48 scale. I think I'm now set, as far as these subjects are concerned. I may begin selling off my ICM Spitfires shortly...

Speaking of which, I may be getting ready to have another SIDNA cull and sale. Stay tuned...

As the holidays approach, I would like to wish all of you Season's Greetings and the best of cheer. May you have what you need, get what you want, and enjoy the company of family and friends. For those who have an abundance of riches, share your bounty with those less fortunate.

(My wife and were talking about this a few days ago--while everyone is sniping back and forth over the various holiday greetings being used these days, "Season's Greetings" seems to have fallen out of the lexicon. Let's bring it back, shall we?)

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and, especially at this time of year, I bid you Peace.

10/11/2015

From time to time, I go on the road for work. Sometimes it is to actually work airplanes, sometimes it is for trade shows, and sometimes it is for training. This road trip is for the latter two, and I managed to fit in some sightseeing and visiting while I'm travelling. More on that in a minute...

The Story of The Old Guy

Last week, as I was getting done with the last tests of an air data computer that had been exchanged, I came to a stark realization. Back when I first got out of school and was as helpless as a newborn kitten, I learned the bulk of my trade by doing. And, of course, the first time you get thrown out on the hangar floor and told, "There it is kid, have at it", you start thinking you may have just bitten off more than you can chew. Everything you do takes too long, or isn't working like they told you it should in school, or you screw it up. In my case, I was patient to a point, but got frustrated very quickly--the frustration killed my focus on the job. The frustration coupled with some of the Old Guys on the floor made it worse for me--I'm an introvert, and don't like being criticized in front of God and everyone, all it does is make me even more frustrated. So, invariably when I was on a task new to me, I'd get frustrated and lose my cool.

Usually, what they do next is to send the Old Guy out there to help you, since he usually has been at it longer than anyone else, knows the most, and can fix anything with a small screwdriver and a tie wrap. As you get to work with the Old Guy, you wonder if you'll ever have the same knowledge and abilities as he does--and if you ever do know that much, you wonder where you're going to learn it. See, back in the day, a lot of the Old Guys didn't want to share what they knew. What they knew was their job security. If they let you know what they knew, they lose that job security of being the only guy in the shop who can do that particular task or group of tasks. Personally, I don't subscribe to that train of through for a few reasons--one, I don't want to be 60 years old, fat and arthritic, and crawling around on airplanes. Second, the more people in the organization who know how a certain task is done gives that organization flexibility. If both my technicians can do all the tasks I can, we don't have to rely on one guy to do this and the other guy to do that.

Anyway, I did what everyone has done in the past--I found a guy who was older than I was, but younger than the Old Guy was, tagged along with him, listened, and learned. There was a lot of trial an error, there were times that nothing made sense, there were times that it was frustrating as hell. It came to me, though, slowly. That's why, last week during that seemingly inconsequential air data test, that I realized that I have become the Old Guy in the shop. My guys, though older than I am, come to me for answers to questions that crop up on the airplanes we work. They haven't had as much corporate jet experience as I've had, so they come to me for the answers. And I have learned over the years, too, how to deal with frustration. I no longer allow the airplane to fluster me. Which is good...

Certain tasks that used to fill me with dread are child's play. I no longer have trouble diagnosing pitot-static system or autopilot system problems. Part of it was learned via the sink-or-swim method, part of it through the immersion method, and part of it was through a few good, learned people (other old guys) who weren't afraid to answer my stupid questions or tell me where I went astray. There's a lot to be said for schools, but there's even more merit in the apprentice system. I wish it were better organized in the avionics industry, because it is alive and well...and working.

I went back to my city, and my city was gone...

Do you recall my two-part post where I gave you a tour around Daytona Beach? Well, forget most of what you read...

I stayed in Daytona last night on my way to my training/trade session. I had some time late in the afternoon, so I took a drive. I first took a drive around what the signs say is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I recognized three buildings. Out of about two dozen. I could barely navigate the campus. Nothing was the same as it was thirty-some years ago except the University Center and two original dorms--at least that I could see. I know time marches on, and progress needs to be made, but as I drove around campus, I began to recollect those six years I spent there and was again made pain fully aware than I am, officially, The Old Guy.

Then I took a ride around town. The Speedway is in the closing stages of their renovation and the completion of the Daytona Rising project--the whole look of the speedway from U.S. 92 is completely different. The Holiday Inn (later Ramada Inn) across from Turn 4 is gone--replaced by a Bahama Breeze, IHoP, Olive Garden, and Cheddar's. I wondered about that, because the Olive Garden is next to the Hampton Inn...er, was next to the Hampton. That property is under construction--the sign says a Houligan's is moving in.

The look of Beach Street hasn't changed, but the shops out there sure have. Dunn Hardware and Dunn Toys and Hobbies are long gone, but so are some of the older Mom and Pop shops, too. Stavro's Pizza is still hanging in there, though...

Another Daytona Beach constant is still hanging in there, too--the Streamline Hotel, long little more than a flophouse, is being renovated and restored as is fitting the birthplace of NA$CAR. I was glad to see they hadn't plowed the old place down in the name of progress.

The rest of the beachfront is depressing--it is becoming more and more another coastal concrete canyon, much the same as Miami Beach. But I did stop in at the Oyster Pub for supper--much the same as I remember it, I must say, and well worth the visit. That is one of two watering holes from back in the day (Razzle's being the other, fans!) still open and looking much as they did back in the day.

Without family, what do you have?

I got a chance to spend a few hours with my brother and sister-in-law this afternoon on my way through O-Town on my way to Tampa. I hadn't seen either one on a year, and wish I had a few days to spend catching up with them. Alas, I had to get on down the road, but we will have to get together again soon...

Planning for both the 2016 AMPS International Convention and the 2016 IPMS/USA National Convention is going smoothly. Both shows will be First Rate, and I hope to see you all at one or both. I'm the seminars coordinator for the IPMS Show, and I do believe you'll like the slate of speakers we've put together. If you are interested in hosting a Seminar for either show, please contact me through the Seminars link on the 2016 IPMS/USA Nationals site.

With the Big Shows coming up quickly, you need to get your models ready...

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and, as always, I bid you Peace.

03/18/2015

There are two products in the world that I consider to be the work of Satan. One is Styrofoam packing peanuts, the other is photoetched brass parts for scale models. I'm currently working on two models that feature photoetched parts, both of them (surprise, surprise) are Dragon Models kits. Both are long time residents of my "In Progress" stack, too: The much-discussed 1/35 StuG IV and my 1/700 scale model of the Mighty Moo, the USS Cowpens CVL-25.

First, the StuG. Answer me this: why, oh why, did the minds at Dragon decide to use nickel steel for the schurzen parts? Sure, they need to be rigid, but wouldn't brass of a similar thickness work just as well? Not only are the parts hard, they have styrene parts added to them. Even though I cleaned the parts AND scuffed them, the itty bitty plastic parts still pop loose if you jar the part by, oh, dropping them. Yeah, I know, you're not supposed to drop the parts, but let's say someone were to drop one. The bolt heads stay put, but the hanging brackets pop loose. So, you have to clean them up and re-glue them. Even applying a primer beforehand doesn't totally fix the problem--the primer AND the glue peels off. Had they offered the hanging brackets as additional PE parts (and the schurzen in brass vs. steel), soldering would be the way to go. As it is, you can't really solder plastic to steel...

Now, the Mini Mighty Moo: The instructions are altered for the releases that have the full complement of Dragon PE, yet they still tell you to assemble the superstructure with the plastic parts. Now, that's easily dealt with--just don't use the plastic deck and bridge. Now we get to the PE replacement parts--I've been bending PE for a while now, and the trend with Dragon parts is this: unless your bends are millimeter perfect, the folded parts don't always align properly. I've gone the straightedge/razor blade route, and I've used a folding tool (more anon). Neither yield a perfect result without much gnashing of teeth. I did manage to get things more or less correct with the bridge houses, but that tower, hoo boy. No matter how careful I was, the tower would not line up and behave. I finally took matters into my own hands and removed the support structure from the cross structure. I built the cross structure (basically a box) and let the glue cure. Tonight--given that I have time to do so--I'll re-attach the support structure to the sides. Once that is all secure, I can go ahead and add the searchlight platform. But it seems to me that Dragon made it more complicated than it needed to be...

Anyway, I am happy to announce that progress is being made on both projects. The hull and flight deck of the Cowpens has been painted and needs only touch-up, and the StuG got an initial coat of dunkelgelb this week. I need to attach a few parts and fix some glitches, and I can continue with the paint work on the StuG. I still have a bunch of itty bitty anti-aircraft guns and other bits and bobs to paint and install on the Cowpens, but work does continue.

I've also made progress on the 1/72 F-111F Aardvark and 1/48 Macchi C.200. I'm planning a photo shoot tonight, I will try to post photos in the next update.

**********

I told you I was looking for a photoetch bender. Well, my wonderful wife bought me a Small Shop "Bug" for my birthday. I took it for a test drive on the bridge parts for the Cowpens, and it is one nifty little tool. I still have some playing around to do with it, but it should handily replace the steel straightedge and razor blade method I had been using up to this point. There may still be times when I'll need to resort to that method (like when I don't plan my folds correctly), but I thing my Bug will now be handling 99% of my photoetch bending duties from now on.

**********

The work front is heating up. We sat for most of the year so far with little to do, but the last few weeks (and the next few weeks, too) have seen more airplanes in the hangar and on the ramp. Surprisingly, I've managed to keep the avionics team to where we're not working killer shifts. Don't know how I managed that, but I'm trying to do the work and not burn either of us out at the same time. So far, so good...

Well, break's over--time to get back on our heads. Be good to one another, thanks for reading, and, as always, I bid you Peace.

02/24/2015

1. I really need to do some Spring Cleaning. There are things I have hidden away that haven't seen the light of day in years and probably should go. And I'm not just talking models--there are things that I have accumulated that have moved with me everywhere that haven't been out of the moving box they were packed into since the mid 1980's.

2. I'm going to (finally) purchase a photoetch bending tool, since the itty bitty 1/700 scale Independence-class CVL has even ittier and bittier photoetch, and the ruler/razor trick ain't getting it done. I've settled on "The Bug" from The Small Shop, I'll let you know how it works for me. Others rave about it, so I think I've made the right choice.

3. Progress is once again being made on the bench, albeit slowly. I have one more color to squirt on the hull of the aforementioned 1/700 scale USS Cowpens I'm building. So far, it looks real nice. Then again, I still have to un-mask the hull. Time will tell...

4. I'm still trying to finish the camouflage on the 1/48 Macchi C.200. Two steps forward, three steps back, it seems, but I think I'm closing in on a result that I'll be satisfied with.

5. The StuG IV is also progressing. I finally got a coat of primer on the skirt armor--and knocked off three of the mounting points doing so. Once again, did we really need to use nickel-steel for those? Brass wouldn't have been just as nice? Anyway, a little super glue and I should be ready to paint it--once I get the little ship and the Macchi complete.

6. After the StuG, I have a 1/72 F-111F in work. I'd like to get that one done soon, but it all depends on the rest of the backlog.

7. Just for fun, I pulled out a 1/72 Special Hobby U-2R/TR-1/ER-2 kit that I had started for a now-abandoned project. I'm picking away at it as time allows.

In the meantime, other events are in the works. It would seem that the U.S. plastic modeling world will descend on the Greater Upper Midlands Co-Prosperity Sphere in 2016--the AMPS International show will be held in Sumter, SC in April 2016 and the IPMS/USA National Convention will be held in Columbia, SC in August 2016. I sit on the planning boards of both local Chapters of these organizations, and I can tell you that we are all working hard--even at this early date--to bring our attendees the best in plastic modeling. Stay tuned for further details, as we can't really ramp up the full-on advertising campaigns until this years' shows have been concluded...

On a sad note, another mom-and-pop brick and mortar hobby shop has closed. The Great Escape in Greenville, SC has shut down the hobby shop completely. Last year, they consolidated the shop to the Greenville store and moved all the stock that had been in Spartanburg over. We went to the Greenville store a few weeks after, and all appeared as it always did--the shop was fairly busy, mostly in RC sales, and the shelves were full--more so than they had been in a couple of years, in fact. Apparently, right around the end of the year the new owners decided that all they wanted to concentrate on were bicycle sales and shut the hobby end of the business down. When we went, they were down to a couple of paint racks and some orphan kits. I managed, somehow, to get two of the new Special Hobby 1/72 scale AH-1G Cobra kits and some of the long defunct Testor's Acryl marine colors for the little Mighty Moo. Otherwise, there wasn't much left, and they were only going to continue for another day or so.

Sadly, this is becoming more common as fewer dollars chase more products. The brick-and-mortar stores can't possible stock everything that the large mail order companies can--even if they could, it would be financial suicide to do so. But we also have played a part in this--modelers are notoriously cheap, and in chasing the bottom dollar bargains we tend to forget the little local shops.

As always, support your local shop.

Well, the back-to-work bell is ringing. Be good to one another other, and I'll see you later. I bid you Peace...

01/28/2015

I've actually been off on a self-imposed digital vacation of sorts. I was finding myself getting too wrapped up in the computer and all the series of pipes the Interwebs was bringing me, to the point that I wasn't enjoying any of my other hobbies--and I was not having any fun. So, I decided to step away for a few weeks and only check in for about 10 minutes a day until I got some of my mojo back. It worked, I have been churning things out of the model workshop on a semi-regular basis and I have regained some of the lost momentum on a few long-term projects.

So, lets review what's been going on...

1. Eduard released a 1/48 scale Bf-109G that is actually 1/47 scale. Or is it 1/45? Or is it actually okay if you lop 2mm off each wingtip and re-work the ailerons? Don't know, don't really care--I have a moving box full of Hasegawa and Fujimi 1/48 scale 109's. I sold off all the others (Hobbycraft, Revell) that I had in the stash a few years ago. I think I'm good for a while...

2. Kittyhawk released their 1/48 scale F-101A/C kit, and it has errors. Yep, and dogs chase cars and eat their own shit, and cats get hairballs. I have said kit. I can spot the errors, and the good news is that I can also fix them rather easily. It seems to also be a bear to assemble, but what does one learn from a falls-together kit?

3. Kittyhawk also released an "unbuildable" 1/48 scale F9F Cougar. Funny, I'm seeing a lot of built examples that look mighty fine to me, including the one the wife is in the middle of building. "Some modeling experience helpful" seems to be the watchword here, and that means you need to have been taught how to test-fit parts and adjust it where needed.

4. Airfix's new releases seem to be getting better and better. I bought the Blenheim and the Lightning in the past several weeks, and all I can say is "wow". I thought the little Gnat was a nice kit, but the latest are even nicer.

5. Revell finally got the shapes and proportions correct on a Mopar E-Body with their new 1/25 scale 1970 Barracuda. I bought one, and it won't be the last. Also, I got to thinking...what if the current group at Chrysler resurrected the Plymouth name badge? More on that at some point...

6. I have had opportunity to check out the Vallejo color kits for armor models--in this case, the U.S. Olive Green vehicle paint set and the Green Vehicle Weathering set. So far, results are pretty good. More on that later, too...

Fast forward several months...

I originally penned those words last September. And, as with the Road to Hell, I had good intentions of completing the post and getting back to business. But, as so often happens, life got in the way. Again. And I got sidetracked. Again.

But here I am, back in the swing of things. Sort of. I still have some ruts to get out of and a bit of a funk I need to give up, but (as the song goes) I'm alive and well and living in.

And news, boy is there news...

Since September, I've been more than a little lax at the workbench. I have a few projects close to completion, and one that, if I put a little effort forth, will also be looking to cross the finish line soon. I've also started a new project, too, and all I need is the motivation to get to work on all of them. Stay tuned. I have a plan...

I have managed to accrue kits, though--that never ends for those of us afflicted by the bug. To wit:

Eduard's 1/72 MiG-15 kit is every bit as nice as we hoped it would be.

Trumpeter's 1/48 F-106A is a mixed bag if you compare it to the now 32-year old Monogram kit, but it does have the benefit of recessed panel lines. The biggest discrepancy I can see with the kit (aside from the soft detail, which is fixable) are the stoop-shouldered intakes. They appear to round off too much for my liking, but it is not a deal-breaker if you get the kit at a discount. I plan on using some parts from a long-stalled Monogram model to improve the look of the kit. I like it, and the fact that they're doing the F-106B, too. Like the Kittyhawk F-101A/C, it isn't perfect but it is certainly not beyond the skill set of most modelers. Given that the later issues of the Monogram kit (and all Monogram kits) are in that awful softish, vinyl-like plastic, this one arrived at just about the right time.

(Do you remember the old Monogram plastic? Hard, but not brittle, nice smooth and glossy surface...those days are apparently gone. And my nostalgia affliction wishes they weren't...)

(Hey, Meng--how about a 1/72 F-106A that matches your F-102A in detail and finesse?)

Airfix keeps on trucking, their 1/72 Supermarine Swift FR.5 is gorgeous. And every time I see what they're doing in the smaller scales, I get more and more tempted to acquire their 1/24 Hawker Typhoon. What I will do with it, and (better still) where I will display it, well, since when has that ever mattered before? As M and the Minister of Defense have been known to say to James Bond, "Control yourself, 007..." (And yet Q would probably have it delivered to me and then take hours to explain how it is such a neat bit of kit, etc...)

And, in the Christmas Mother Lode, I got a few neat items:

RusAir's Tu-154 and Tu-134 kits in 1/144 scale. Gorgeous. The 154 makes it so you have a friend for your Zvesda Tu-154M. (And I'm looking forward to a 1/144 Il-62 this year, as soon as I can get my mitts on one. Those old Soviet airliners have character out the whazoo...)

Eduard's reissue of Academy's F-4B (as an F-4N) in 1/48 scale with the U.S. Navy Bicentennial schemes and upgrades. Sweet.

But enough about plastic. What else is happening?

Well, we're in that alternating feast/famine cycle at work. I did manage to get away to a trade meeting in September, as well as a return trip to Richmond. Trade meetings are always good, since I get to get brought up to speed on new stuff and re-connect with people I've met throughout the years. The weather was awful the day I left, so I still have to plan a trip to the Virginia Aviation Museum.

I have had a chance to catch up on some reading, notably "The Eagle and the Rising Sun" by Alan Schom and "Neptune's Inferno" by James Hornfischer. Both deal mainly with the naval battles around Guadalcanal during the campaign to take the island. Both are very good reads, and I recommend them to any WWII Pacific Campaign fans. Beware, modelers--it will make you want to build at least one ship model! I know I keep eyeing the 1/350 kits of the USS San Francisco in the stash...

Along with everything else, there are a few modeling events coming up in the area, and we're in the planning phases of all of them. More as the time comes, but they ought to be barn-burners. Stay tuned on that, too...

As for the other big event coming up this weekend, I really have no dog in the hunt. I can't root for the Patriots, it goes against every fiber in my being--growing up in South Florida and being a Dolphins fan will do that to you. But I can't get excited about the Seahawks, either. The Seahawks I used to remember were in the AFC, had better looking uniforms, and were a dome team...I'm sure the Big Game (tm) will be good, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it...

And, finally, this past weekend was the 53rd Annual 24 Hours of Daytona. And it was a great race, with great weather. One of these days, we'll get back there in person...

03/08/2014

Now, before you get all excited and start running about, I'm not referring to George Orwell's vision. Rather, I'm looking back 30 years and remembering some of the things that made 1984 a sort of comeback year for me...

For starters, I found myself unemployed and not in school for the first time in my life on New Year's Day in 1984. I had taken my leave from the Harvard of the Sky--engineering physics and I didn't get along, especially when physics had backup on the beat-down in the form of Calculus 3. Between those two courses, I had a dismal GPA for the Fall 1983 semester and decided that engineering as a career for me wasn't in the cards. I went down to the AFROTC Detachment (I had an AFROTC Scholarship at the time) and spoke a bit with my advisor. He and I talked for about an hour, and both came to the conclusion that all the summer terms in the world weren't going to suddenly make me a mathematical genius. My math skills were pretty good, but not good enough. So, I didn't register for spring semester and came home.

Funny how things can happen--I went looking for a job on 2 January 1984 and was hired almost immediately as a parts driver for a local HVAC parts house. After a week or so of that, one of their systems engineers found out that I wasn't just doing this because I didn't know any better, and I would sometimes be called in to watch how home and industrial HVAC systems are engineered--so many square feet of space called for so many tons of capacity, so many BTUs were required to heat X amount of space, etc. It was all pretty neat stuff, and I appreciated all they were doing for me. Between parts runs, I learned quite a bit--and was tempted to pursue a career in that. But aviation, once it wiggles down into your blood, tends to have a strong pull...

I worked there all summer. One day I got a phone call from one of my advisors at Embry-Riddle, wanting to know what I was doing and what my plans were. At the time, I was still trying to just chill out a bit and leave the stress and, well, disappointment of engineering behind me (and earn some coin, but that should be obvious). I let them know what I was up to, and that I had several things banging around in my head, and that I'd let them know when the time came. That time came in June--I took a Friday off work and drove back to Daytona Beach. I met with some folks, and found out how easy it would be for me to come back--I never formally withdrew from the school, so I was still carried on their rolls. I first visited my AFROTC friends. We spent a few hours speaking with some of the other Department Chairmen, and after speaking with the man heading up the Avionics program, my mind was made up. I would return in August.

With my future now decided, I went back to work. I don't say this to be self-congratulatory, but I was the hardest working parts driver/stock man/all around helper that location had. I know this because the higher-ups told me so. They were especially let down when I gave them my notice, but when I told them that my two choices were to learn--unofficially--from them, or go back to school and learn aviation electronics, I think it got them to understand. I was told that if I needed summer work, they would be there. So, I ended my employment with them in mid-August.

Remember that 1984 was an Olympic Games year, too--back when Winter and Summer games were held in the same year, no less. The Winter games were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. I paid little attention to them, because work and the time difference made keeping track of the events a bit difficult. What saddens me know is to see what has become of the venues built for the Games--most of them are crumbling, the result of the unrest, fighting, and other issues between the ethnic factions that finally led to the break-up of Yugoslavia into its constituent Republics. Sad...

The Summer games, on the other hand, were different--they were held in Los Angeles in 1984. The overshadowing news was that the Soviet Union, acting in response to the West's boycott of the 1908 Games, had decided to sit 1984 out. They, along with the majority of Eastern Bloc countries, sat at home while the Games went on. The reason I remember it so well was than coverage of most events came on right as I was getting back to the house after work, so I could pay attention to all of them. It was the last Olympic Summer games that I really paid close attention to. Since then, various reasons have kept me from watching...

On the modeling front, I actually started to keep a log of kits I completed. The first for 1984 was the ESCI 1/48 scale Fieseler Storch. It was an easy build until I got to the part about sticking the wings to the greenhouse. I used 5-minute epoxy, and got a fairly decent result--I amazed myself that I didn't wind up with epoxy all over everything!

I next turned my attention to a Tamiya 1/48 Brewster Buffalo. It was probably the quickest "serious" model I had built to that point--everything just clicked together. I was tempted by the early Navy scheme, but I settled on the Dutch scheme, because my metal finish techniques were sorely lacking and I didn't want to ruin the model. My impressions of Tamiya airplane kits would be reinforced soon...

Next on the hit parade was the Nichimo 1/48 scale Ki-43 Oscar. If you read opinions on this kit, they're all almost universally positive. And for good reason--the kit packs a lot of detail into a small airplane, the fit is superlative, and this all in a kit dating from the late 1970's. I tried some weathering techniques on this one--I used a silver Tamiya paint marker to prime seams back then, and I would paint the seams and rub the excess paint off with a paper towel. I reconed that if I added blotches of silver here and there, I could "chip" the Polly S paints I was using for the camouflage. It worked out fairly well, I think, and I kept trying to expand my horizons from that model on to the next, and the next...

This was also the summer when I attempted to build Monogram's 1/48 scale F-84F. For a reason or reasons lost to history, I cannot recall why I never finished the model. All I have from that model is the dolly and a few bits and pieces. After that, I wound up building Monogram's 1/48 scale F-100D in Arkansas ANG colors. I did that because, as I said before, my metal finishes at the time looked like dog poop...

Last for the summer, I decided to refinish a Monogram 1/48 scale B-17G that I had built in the late 1970's, maybe 1979. I had airbrushed it, but it was one of my first airbrushed models and looked the part. There were visible seams and some other issues with the model, so I took it down from the shelf and started working on the bad areas. Within a week, it was ready for paint again. I had used a Microscale sheet to finish the F-100 and was suitably impressed--first time using them, you know. So, I went in search of a sheet for the B-17. I found one I liked (unit and aircraft are again lost to history--I didn't log how they were finished, just that I finished them) and set to work. I used a combination of Polly S and Tamiya acrylics for the finish, and this one was the best, to that point, airbrushed finish I had ever laid down. The model went back on the shelf, an old girl in a new dress.

(That Tamiya Buffalo would also get a re-work in the early 1990's--which is how it still resides, hidden away in a box upstairs...)

I returned to good old Humpty Diddle in August. I had to register for classes. I had remembered to change my major and catalog at the Registrar's office when I was there in June, so half my battle had been won. Then I get to the registration lines. I think it is a universal college policy that beginning of the semester registration is meant to be as huge a pain in the ass as possible to all involved. See, during my engineering days, I had to re-take a few courses. As far as the Aeronautical Studies/Aeronautics courses were concerned, I was through with all of my math classes by virture of my Calculus I and Calculus II courses. During those engineering semesters, I had managed to complete all but maybe one or two Humanities/History courses, too. I was only looking to register for the required Physics and first semester Aero Studies courses. I couldn't get into any of the Electronics courses since all the sections were filled, so I settled for what I could get. After I got through that, I had to go play housing lottery. After about two hours of back-and-forth, I managed to get into Residence Hall 2, aka Dorm 2, aka "The Embry-Riddle Holiday Inn". I had lived here through my engineering days, so I know what to expect. I met the roommates and suitemates (two rooms to a suite, three people to a room), all of whom were Aero Science guys (they were all working towards pilot certificates)--except one. He was in engineering. He was a quiet kid, and engineering wasn't any kinder to him than it was me. I kinda felt sorry for the kid...after all, I'm now the older, wiser me...

Classes were literally a breeze. By the end of that semester, I would have all my prerequisite courses behind me and the next three and a half years would be solid electronics and avionics courses, along with the Aero Studies courses. See, there was no single avionics major, you took a major and added avionics. You could take an Aviation Maintenance major and avionics (you wound up with an Airfram and Powerplant certificate and the avionics degree) or Aeronautical Studies with avionics, which is how I went. Basically, you took all the ground school courses for flight, but no flight courses. So, I learned basic aerial navigation and meteorology to go along with my electron theory. Over the years, the school changed how they treated avionics until finally phasing it out a few years ago in favor of an Electronic Engineering degree program...

More modeling? You bet--I had spare time, so I decided to build a Tamiya 1/48 A6M2. This was another fall together kit, it was done in a week. Yep, a week. Needing something else to occupy my time, and figuring that the ESCI Storch was a cool kit, so I decided to build ESCI's 1/48 scale Hs-123. Now that one was a challenge--first serious biplane, first masked camouflage scheme with Polly S, and the kit was rife with minor warpage--typical of ESCI's kits of that era. Well, I managed to beat it into submission, and painted it up as a Spanish Civil War machine. I may still have it in a box here somewhere, too, and I was sure to pick up the AMTech "enhanced" reissue of the kit a few years ago. After all, who else is likely to do an Hs-123 in 1/48 scale?

The best part of the year? Going back to school. I never had any intention of *not* going back to school--my father wouldn't abide it. He was always pushing for education-I guess it stems from the fact that he had a GED when he started working, and worked hard in correspondence classes to earn a degree. Dad was a self made man, and he did so through hard work and trying to better himself. I was thinking about these "good old days", and once again realized what my parents did to make sure my brother and I were ready to face the cold, cruel world--the sacrifices they made to put us both through post-secondary education, the hard work they put in to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table, and lights on in the house. So, by going back to school--even though I wasn't overtly pushed--I was doing as they wanted.

On reflection, maybe I should have worked for a year after high school, then gone to college. Maybe I should have examined engineering closer and realized that it was a bit beyond my abilities. You can reach for the brass ring, and if you grab it on the first try, great. I seem to reach for the ring, get a light grip on it, and then lose that slight grasp. Rather than giving up, I'll take a breather and try again. I usually grab that sucker for all I'm worth on the second go around, and once I have it in my grasp I never let go--I seem to cherish it more when I do that. It has worked for me my entire life...

Oh, yeah. The Apple Macintosh also goes on sale in 1984, Constatin Chernenko succeeds Yuri Andropov as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Pierre Trudeau steps down as the Canadian Prime Minister, and Marvin Gaye's father shoots and kills the singer.

Musically, Van Halen released their "1984" album, giving us "Panama", "Hot For Teacher", "I'll Wait", and "Jump". Duran Duran were touring, suppoting "Seven and the Ragged Tiger", which gave us "The Reflex", "Union of the Snake", and "New Moon on Monday". Meanwhile, Prince and the Revolution topped the Billboard Top 100 with "When Doves Cry". What was #100? "Yah Mo Be There", by James Ingram and Michael McDonald...

(I can't poke too much fun--my beloved Jethro Tull released "Under Wraps". Not one of their best albums ever. By far. Even Tull's then-bassist Dave Pegg said the songs cut from 1983's "Broadsword and the Beast" would have made a better album. Trivia time--it was the only Tull album with no live drummer--drum machines were used instead. Doane Perry would be hired shortly after this album and was their full-time drummer until 2011. He still occasionally tours with them.)

The big news items in the United States for 1984, though, were generated by President Ronald Reagan. In August, during a sound check for a radio broadcast, he says "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes". He alos is re-elected (with George H. W. Bush as his Vice President) in a landslide victory in November, beating Democrats Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro, carrying 49 states and 59% of the popular vote.

Oh, and as an aside: When you get an ROTC scholarship, you are basically sworn in as enlisted personnel. Because I vacated my AFROTC scholarship, a Review Board convened. It was decided that I wasn't vacating the scholarship for any reason other than it would be a waste of money to have me keep banging my head against a wall as an egineering student. For my troubles, I received a package from the United States Air Force sometime in April. Now, some fellow scholarship recipients were receiving orders to attend basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas. I was slightly concerend until I opened the envelope. I was granted an Honorable Discharge from the United States Air Force. As an Airman Basic. No orders. One of my roommates at the time wasn't as lucky--his orders appeared a week after he got home in December, 1983. He showed the Air Force, though--he went down and joined the Army before the Air Force caught up with him. Many who knew this guy swore he joined the army only so he could get a good, up close look at an M1 Abrams tank so he could build a superdetailed model of one...

I hope this finds all of you in good health. Thanks for reading, and be good to one another. I bid you Peace.

11/06/2013

Nostalgia hit again. With the events of the past year, I have a lot of my family's keepsakes in the house that I still need to go through and catalog--I imagine my brother still has to do the same with a lot of the stuff he has, too. With the holidays approaching, I got to thinking--which can be a dangerous thing, especially when you're doing the 7 days, 12 hours a day thing...

I was remembering back to the early days of FineScale Modeler, back when it was the fresh face on the plastic modeling scene. Why? Maybe because the first several issues came out in late 1982, my first year in college. When I needed a break from the academics, I'd reach for FSM. Why? In no particular order:

The early issues were cover-to-cover reads for me. Usually, I'd read it at least four times in order to make sure I could catch every work of every article and every ad for stuff I had never heard of before. FSM wasn't afraid to publish full-blown scratchbuild articles, or involved conversion articles, or even superdetail articles. In fact, I have two copies of the Fall 1984 issue with Bob Steinbrunn's article on cockpit detailing--my original copy is so shop worn and dog eared that when a club member was giving away his collection of early issues, I snagged his nearly new copy.

Compared to the competition, FSM gave me something that the other guys wouldn't, couldn't, or didn't--advanced projects, complete with either in-progress photos or drawings that helped explain what the builder did. It really helps to see what the author did when he says he "used 5-minute epoxy to reinforce the area" rather than just read the words.

The articles covered the subject from beginning to end, more or less. What finally got me to end my subscription was the simplification of the projects, or the "let's condense a large project down to a Top-10 bulleted list" mentality of the late 1990's and early 2000's. That, along with the semi annual "How to apply decals" and "How to use and airbrush" articles, soured me on the magazine. I had been a continuous subscriber since the introduction of the magazine (I actually found the cancelled check from my initial subscription when we cleaned up Mom's condo!), and believe me, it was hard to ignore the renewal cards. But I did, and every time I pick up a new issue on the newsstand and flip through it, I am reminded that nothing has really changed.

Before the naysayers start to pile on with the claims that "You've just improved your craft, FSM is as good as it ever was!", I'd like to say hogwash. Not true. If that were true, why did the short-lived Aerospace Modeler Magazine hit me the same way that that the first FSM issues hit me? The projects were complete, they were fully explained, and in some cases matched those early days of FSM.

Alas, I fear the day of the print magazine has changed drastically. I was hoping for good things with AMM, and a few months ago I saw a rumbling that something might be in the air (no pun intended). But these days, niche magazines certainly must walk a razor's edge between profit and loss. I would imagine that breaking even is the goal for some of the smaller publications. One can see why FSM, with the might of Kalmbach Publishing behind them, still soldiers on while the others tend to fall by the wayside...

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With the holidays approaching, my mind tends to also wander back to those days when I would go to the hobby shop with Dad. We were looking for one thing--grass mat for the train platform. Once we had that, we could set the trains up under the Christmas tree. I haven't set up a train under a Christmas tree since my short affair with N gauge in 1990 or 1991, but I do remember the Lionel set under the tree as a kid. One of the other things that I now have in my garage is the 1972-era Lionel set Mom and Dad bought us when we first moved to Florida. That train set was rode hard and put up wet many times, yet it still runs. I offered to let my brother take the Lionel set since I had the Scott Paper HO gauge trains our Grandmother got for us (and the other grandkids, too) one year. My brother let me have both sets. If I can find a way to one day get them both up and running, I plan on doing so. I've always wanted to actually construct a full-blown HO layout anyway. All I need is another room on the house...

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Speaking of model railroading, one other Christmas time attraction in South Florida used to the the National Enquirer's shindig. They'd get one of those huge (very tall--like in the neighborhood of 100 feet tall) spruce trees, light it up, set it up next to their National Headquarters, and charge admission to see it. Along with the huge tree, there was this HO gauge layout housed in several large tents. It was the product (if I recall correctly) of several railroad clubs, and it took maybe an hour to walk through the whole thing. When you have relatives visiting, you have to find some interesting things to go see--this was one of them.

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I'll be back soon with more holiday memories. Until then, be good to one another. I bid you Peace.